Celebrate Earth every day, organizers encourage

School day’s annual observation should have evolved into caring for the Earth, event planners say.

By Hillary E. Ratcliff

sac-ranger@alamo.edu

Remember back in the days of elementary school, the lesson plan worksheets and activities on renew, reuse and recycle? Remember the cute, short stories about a little kid learning the importance of replanting a tree or starting a garden?

Illustration by Estefania B. Alonso

Those lessons were intended to instill the good teachings to take care of the planet we inhabit. Those lessons fell only within the week of or on April 22, Earth Day.

We’ve grown up, and lessons from Earth Day have became integrated into the standard curriculum. Celebrating Earth Day became less of a classroom thing and more of an outside celebration of the day.

However, many have forgotten about Earth Day and its real meaning, especially now considering there are more “Go Green” campaigns than ever.

Since April 22, 1970, Americans have celebrated Earth Day to raise environmental awareness.

Every year, millions participate in Earth-friendly campaigns.

At this college, members of Students for Environmental Awareness and volunteers at Sinkin EcoCentro recognize Earth Day every day, not just April 22.

Starting April 18, this college will host several events through April 23.

Lisa Cervantes, president of SEA and environmental science sophomore, said extending Earth Day into a whole week of awareness activities and celebration eliminates the limitation of trying to fit it all in to one single day.

Students will have the opportunity to be re-educated about responsible recycling habits, gardening techniques and learning new healthy alternatives.

On April 18, SEA will bring back a SACtacular favorite from last year, a recycling game that teaches people which receptacle recyclable material belongs.

The game helps combat waste problems on this campus and within people’s homes.

Informing people about the proper way to recycle and helping them understand why it is vital for our society will cut down on waste being dumped into landfills.

“It is ridiculous how they come across trash bins that were 50 percent lost recyclable material that could have been half a bag of trash compared to two bags of recyclable material,” said environmental science sophomore Megan Kendrick, who completed waste treatment analysis with SEA.

The weeklong schedule of events is meant to make Earth Day more than a one-day observance, and to encourage everyone to act more enviroment-friendly every day.